Travel
April 2024
Travel
The Land of Music and Death
Rashi Bunny visits Varanasi, a place that not only soothes as well as titillates your senses with its potpourri of music and food but also assaults your sensibilities with the smell and sound of death and wailing
I remember my obsession with death. I wanted to understand it so bad that I would not leave a stone unturned or a page unread if it would help me fathom it. I felt that if I understood death, I would have the key to understanding how to make this life beautiful. But as I began my search, I figured that there was immense fear around the subject of death. People did not fear death itself; rather, they feared the unknown. I wondered why they did not ask basic questions, such as, Why do I feel so scared of death? What
is it that I do not understand about the renewal of the body? What is it that I do not understand about the premise that the soul reincarnates to progress its inner constitution? Then I came to the conclusion that if there is something that we do not understand, we will have to experience it. Not cognitively, not just by reading books on it or intellectually theorising it, but by exploring it, immersing in it, and figuring out all its layers. To do so, we will have to travel to one of the oldest cities in the world: Varanasi, aka Kashi or Banaras.
I stood by the Ganga, and Time stood still. I moved in a boat on the river, and as the boatman sang to the Universe, the light of the sun, the shine of the moon, and the glimmer of infinity traced the water of the past, the present, and the future.
I do not remember if it was Kashi or Banaras or Varanasi; all I know is that I witnessed a cosmic stance!
Welcome to Varanasi, the spiritual and musical city that beckons with its timeless charm and lively culture. Nestled along the banks of the sacred river Ganges (Ganga), Varanasi is a place where spirituality and music intertwine, creating an atmosphere that is both enchanting and profound. Varanasi, often referred to as the spiritual capital of India, is not only a city of vibrant colours and bustling streets but also a living testament to one of the oldest civilisations in the world. It stands as a guardian of a heritage that stretches back millennia.
The city of music
As you wander through the labyrinthine alleys and ghats of this historic city, you can’t help but feel the palpable sense of history that permeates the air. Recognised as the ‘City of Music’ by UNESCO, Varanasi resonates with the melodious strains of classical music, a tradition that has been nurtured for centuries, giving us many renowned music maestros, such as Ustad Bismillah Khan and Ravi Shankar, who have contributed immensely to its rich musical heritage.
One of my favourite stories involves Tansen, a legendary musician and one of the nine gems in the court of Emperor Akbar. It is said that Tansen’s singing had the power to control natural elements, and his rendition of Raag Megh Malhar was believed to invoke rain. Once, during a drought, Emperor Akbar requested
Tansen to perform this raag in Varanasi to bring rain, which eventually happened.
Varanasi has been a hub of various music gharanas (schools), such as the Banaras Gharana and the Maihar Gharana, which have nurtured generations of musicians. People from all over the world come to Varanasi to study music from many renowned music schools and academies that continue to preserve and propagate traditional Indian classical music.
What truly sets Varanasi apart is its unwavering commitment to preserving and perpetuating its rich cultural legacy—from the age-old rituals performed on the banks of the Ganges to the timeless art forms passed down through generations. Every day, thousands of pilgrims and seekers flock to Varanasi to partake in its customs and ceremonies. Whether it’s the mesmerising Ganga Aarti at sunset or the soul stirring chants that echo through the ancient temples, Varanasi offers a glimpse into a world that has remained unchanged for aeons.
Besides getting a taste of its culture, if you’re a foodie, this city is for you. Varanasi is an excellent place to try some mouth-watering street food. Once you try its mallaiyo, kachori sabzi, jalebi, tamatar chatt, laung-lata and, of course, the Banarasi paan, you’ll fall in love with the city again and again.
A creation of gods
And now that your heart and body are fully satiated with foods, sights, and songs, perhaps you would want to venture into the deeper questions of life. Mythological stories from Hindu scriptures abound in Varanasi. Many important events from Hindu epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are said to have taken place in or around Varanasi. According to the Puranas, the city is said to be located at the centre of the universe and is
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believed to have been created by Lord Shiva and Parvati. Considered the abode of Lord Shiva, one of the principal deities in Hinduism, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple dedicated to Him is the most sacred shrine in Varanasi.
If the inner urge of the meaning of Life and Death is beckoning you, you would be naturally drawn to the Manikarnika Ghat. And when you reach here to witness a space where bodies are continuously offered to the fire round the clock, you feel an unknown emotion. It is as if the fire of the pyres is not only burning away the bodies but also transcending something invisible. The human mind is limited in its understanding of the ritual of renewal through birth and death, but when you witness something as phenomenal as this ghat, it takes you an instant to experience what it is to live, what it is to lose, and what it is to transit!
Portal to the afterlife
Witnessing the business of doing away with the bodies, the smell of burning flesh, the sound of the distant chanting of mantras, overlaid with the wails of the families of the dead, and the constant music of the waves of the river lashing against the boats, one can feel this moment and the beyond in the same pulse and the same breath. The very next moment, you step out of the spell and, a few metres away, see people dancing, worshipping, eating joyfully, getting married, singing songs and doing what we humans do best—living and celebrating the illusion!
On the ghats along the Ganga, the food is not just food for the tastebuds but for all the senses, and the ceremonies are not just rituals but a gateway to beyond the tangible. The believers, perhaps unconsciously, connect with the great Vedic science, where every lamp, every flower, every incense, every mantra, every mudra, every tiny action as a part of the ritualistic prayer, is actually an access point to your Higher Consciousness.
In Kashi, I could feel how the material and the spiritual merge into each other. The narrow lanes are not just tiny arrows when I move through them; it is as if you are travelling through the mystic caves of a submerged consciousness, and no matter how many times you lose your way, you will end up at the Ganga, the flow of divine consciousness. No matter how many times you don’t reach your planned destination, wherever you reach, that’s where you are meant to be.
Kashi is not a place; it is a vortex where mystery, myth, and multidimensional merger happen at every moment. This is one of those spots on earth where you lose yourself completely and, ironically, that’s how you find yourself. And when you find yourself, there are no barriers of death
body-birth. All is One and all is Transcendental. Kabir, the saint-mystic-poet of Kashi, sang in the14th century:
Bhala hua meri matki phooti re,
Mai to paneeya bharan se chooti re!
(Thank you, O Lord! that this pitcher is broken, No more filling it up,
No guards now and worries none.)
Rashi Bunny, loves the majesty of the planet and the human enterprise. As an explorer, she writes on various themes- sacred spaces being her passion.